Animal cruelty charges have been approved against the owner of Captain, the German Shepherd found beaten and discarded in a dumpster last July, following a BC SPCA investigation.

Brian Whitlock is scheduled to appear in Vancouver provincial court Friday — the same site protesters rallied in August when the 26-year-old was set to appear before a judge on unrelated charges.

The Vancouver man’s two-year-old dog was discovered July 18 with serious bruising to his head and body after residents near Maple Street heard howls coming from a dumpster. When they opened the garbage container, they found the canine wrapped in a bloody blanket.

The dog had puncture wounds on his neck and shoulder blade as well as a cut on his head that sliced through muscle layer, according to a search warrant application for Whitlock’s apartment.

BC SPCA staff stated the animal had suffered extreme neurological and spinal damage that would have left him a quadriplegic. He was treated for his injuries, but died of a heart attack the next day.

“Seeing the image of that dog lying in a dumpster just really outraged people and touched their hearts so much,” BC SPCA spokeswoman Lorie Chortyk said, adding her organization received messages from across North America.

“It was so horrific to think about the suffering that dog may have experienced.”

Animal activist Charlene Myers, who started the Justice for Captain Facebook petition, said she wants to see a judge apply the maximum jail time — five years — if Whitlock is found guilty.

“I don’t think my wishes are very realistic because you don’t event see that in a lot of cases of murder of humans.”